Dancers at a strip club in Ealing are alleged to have breached licensing rules by engaging in sexual activity with customers who bribed bouncers to look the other way, a report states.

Staff at LA Confidential at 1 High Street also allegedly dodged CCTV cameras by carrying out sex acts in cubicles behind curtains, it adds.

The allegations are made in a document to be presented at a licensing hearing at Ealing Council on Thursday, June 21, which will determine whether to renew the club's sexual entertainment venue licence - which is usually done on an annual basis.

Police have also applied to review the club's premises licence for alcohol and regulated entertainment and this hearing will also take place later on the same day.

The report outlines allegations made by a woman who is understood to be a dancer formerly employed at the club.

She claimed that customers and dancers were taking drugs and engaging in "sexual acts" in areas not covered by a CCTV camera.

She alleged that bouncers were found to be complicit and were "taking money" to ignore issues.

Dancers were also being fined by the club for their misdemeanours, she claimed.

Read More

What's been happening in west London?

When two investigating council officers visited on February 13 they found staff were showing "complete disregard" for the terms of the premises' licence, sex entertainment licence and the code of conduct for the dancers, the document states.

Read More

What's been happening in west London?

The club bills itself as "the premier gentlemen's club". It is currently recruiting for dancers on its website.

When the council got CCTV footage from the club on March 1, 2018, the officers found it was not fit for purpose because customers were fully aware of the "blind spots" and the fact that cameras could not see behind the cubicle curtains, councillors will be told.

Dancers at the club engaged in sex acts with customers, it has been alleged (Stock image - not of a dancer at the club)

The club's licence was last reviewed by Ealing Council in July 2017 after police arrested a member of door staff.

The council made some changes to the terms of the licence, but since then there have been a spate of complaints.

On March 9, the council's licensing officer, Bob Dear, also visited the club with health and safety team member Rose Dindol.

The report states that they concluded the CCTV was not fit for purpose and in clear breach of the condition of the security and premises licence.

Read More

It adds that they found a dancer had been employed at the venue under the legal age limit of 21 and that the photocopy of her ID did not have her date of birth.

They also found the necessary paperwork was not completed in the dancer's files, it says.

On March 22, a further complaint was received, alleging a man had gone to the club on March 17 between 3am and 5am and had been let in even though he said he was inebriated and the club's last entry time was supposed to be 1.30am.

He claimed £600 was charged to his bank cards in a 40-minute period.

Read More

In the report, Clare Brighton, drugs and alcohol programme manager at the council, expresses concerns that dancers at LA Confidential are "not fully consenting" to the club's apparent policy of selling sex.

She said the club was providing sexual services which pose a risk to women's sexual health, not providing an induction for the women who may not be aware of accessing healthcare and sexual health services in the UK, and not keeping personnel records for all staff, including screening the women to make sure there are no under-age women applying to work.

Get West London has approached the club for a response to the claims made in the report.